U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

[theprez98]

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/06/leak/

Federal officials have arrested an Army intelligence analyst who boasted of giving classified U.S. combat video and hundreds of thousands of classified State Department records to whistleblower site Wikileaks, Wired.com has learned.

Twitter is abuzz today with this story. Many are praising Bradley Manning as a hero and whistleblower. Many others are calling Adrian Lamo a snitch for turning him in (Manning chatted with Lamo and admitted his actions to him). Not only did Manning take credit for releasing the "Collateral Murder" video, but also "260,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables".

While I don't condone it, I can understand why someone would release the video. Even then, Wikileaks' analysis was miserably flawed. But no one could convince me that he even read, much less understood the context, of 260,000 diplomatic cables, and that by doing so he felt compelled to release them.

Espionage, pure and simple. He ought to be spending many years at Leavenworth and he'll deserve every one of them.

[hydruh]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

So Lano did the right thing, in your opinion?

S

[Dark Tangent]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

So how did Adrian get identified?

If he went to the FBI they would protect his identity. Did he want to be identified?

[hydruh]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

I believe that he might have called the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10255887.stm

Everything is "Mr. Lano said ..." Sounds like he called them to me.

What are your thoughts, DT? He do the right thing?

S

[Thorn]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

Lamo is the right thing, and any sentence short of a firing squad is lenient.

[Dark Tangent]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

I believe that he might have called the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10255887.stm

Everything is "Mr. Lano said ..." Sounds like he called them to me.

What are your thoughts, DT? He do the right thing?

S

Seems strange, like he wants all the attention instead of informing the authorities and letting them deal with it. He was doing live chat interviews a couple hours ago according to twitter. Wonder how he met and knew the analyst?

[TheCotMan]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

Seems strange, like he wants all the attention instead of informing the authorities and letting them deal with it. He was doing live chat interviews a couple hours ago according to twitter.

Don't do the crime unless you are willing to do the time. If something like this is done from the view of morality, I can respect the guy for doing what he did so long as he does the time for what he did if he is found guilty.

This does not mean I agree with what he did. To gain clearance, he made promises to abide by rules, regulations and laws. He broke that promise when he passed classified information to people without a security clearance. If any claims are made to having done this because of "ethics" or "integrity" then we have a contradiction, since ethics and integrity are broken with claims that doing so would preserve them.

Wonder how he met and knew the analyst?

Article says analyst contacted him after an article about Lamo appeared online.

Assuming that Lamo is not doing this to be in the spotlight, he is the one I feel most sorry for. He was in a difficult position and had to make a difficult decision. I really don't know how I would react in the same circumstance. I am going to add a poll to this thread. Two parts, 6 answer, 3 answer for each question. What would you do?

Poll added. Multiple-vote possible. How you (as an individual) vote is not displayed for other users to see. Your vote will be added, but your username not associated with it.)

[theprez98]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

So Lano did the right thing, in your opinion?

S

Yes.

I personally would not have done the publicity thing that he's doing, but that's him, not me.

I can understand people calling him a snitch; I can understand people saying he is a publicity hound. But I can't really understand people who are saying both. Snitches do not seek publicity, so that doesn't really make any sense.

Knowledge of a crime can make you an accessory. Not that this alone would provoke someone to turn someone else in, but it is certainly a factor worth considering.

[Dark Tangent]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

I guess the best way to sum up my feelings are this:

If you tell me a war story about some past exploits, that is one thing, no worries.

If you are telling me things out of the blue that deal with national security, about how you are leaking diplomatic secret cables, well that is something totally different.

Don't be surprised if the black helicopters start circling soon after.

[Thorn]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

I'm failing to see how anyone could justify doing what Manning did at all. It's treason, pure and simple. Furthermore, I cannot comprehend not doing what Lamo did immediately and without hesitation. The only art of this whole thing that I find questionable is why Lamo "agonized" over the decision at all.

[noid]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

Seems strange, like he wants all the attention instead of informing the authorities and letting them deal with it. He was doing live chat interviews a couple hours ago according to twitter. Wonder how he met and knew the analyst?

Um, have you ever been around the guy? He's nothing but a narcissist and an attention whore (and apparently also a rat).

Of course he wants the attention.

[hexjunkie]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

Manning was a fool. Things considered National Security are classified that way for a reason. Releasing it to the general public, nay to everyone in the world is fool hardy and could set back the US foreign relations by years if not decades. Releasing that information is despicable to me and in the format he released it means it cannot be taken back.... ever.
Being trusted by the government is a privileged that should not be abused. I do not know Manning, but I can say that reviewing over 250,000 documents is a very hard job and reviewing those documents to not include military maneuvers or any kind of strategy planning like troop locations or even embassy staff locations within the embassy would be almost impossible. This information is classified for a reason and there is no telling what the repercussions of his actions will be. Maybe nothing or perhaps a lot of people can be injured or killed.

What Lamo did is not my position to judge, I can only say that I would have done the same in the situation explained in the article. I'm not sure I would have struggled to make the decision though.

*DISCLAIMER: the statements above are my opinion, take that as you will*

[DaKahuna]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

I'm failing to see how anyone could justify doing what Manning did at all. It's treason, pure and simple. Furthermore, I cannot comprehend not doing what Lamo did immediately and without hesitation. The only art of this whole thing that I find questionable is why Lamo "agonized" over the decision at all.

I think the only thing i think that Lamo did wrong was to tell the papers and not the Federal authorities. In his place my first call would have been to the nearest FBI office.

BTW - I agree 100% that anything short of a firing squad is lenient. I said the same thing when news about Walker and Whitworth was made public.

[hexjunkie]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

I think the only thing i think that Lamo did wrong was to tell the papers and not the Federal authorities. In his place my first call would have been to the nearest FBI office.

BTW - I agree 100% that anything short of a firing squad is lenient. I said the same thing when news about Walker and Whitworth was made public.

He did contact army CID and the FBI before the papers according to the article.

[TheCotMan]

Re: U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe

The question has been raised, why would Lamo even have to think twice or agonize over a decision to go to the authorities?

Here are three spaces that cause me to pause an wonder how I would decide:

1) In the conversation leading up to disclosure, of information where the suspect allegedly claimed to be responsible for breaking laws, was a condition to providing this information to Lamo to keep it secret, stated?

It seems to me that it would be highly probable for such a condition to have been discussed before information was disclosed; even gossips do that: "Just between us, ok?" or "can you keep this secret?"

if it was a condition, then there is an ethical dilemma and a question on which agreements you will choose to abide by. (Have you ever stated your 'pledge of allegiance' to the flag and 'The United States of America' and then agreed to keep a secret that would mean having to decide which pledge/agreement to break?) Do no harm to fellow humans by action or inaction, or abide by an agreement you made without visibility to the ramifications of being held to that agreement. I would hazard to guess that many of you would say agreeing to something without knowing the cost is stupid, or maybe have some idea that when the cost is too high, an exception like "crossing your fingers" or "get out of jail free card" would allow you to side-step honoring your agreements. If neither of these, then what else?

2) The personal cost that exists as lost future opportunities: who will ever confide in you once you have a history of going to the authorities to relay information with an implied (and not explicit) confidentiality between friends or associates or professionals?

3) People you thought were your friends choose to abandon you because they can't trust you anymore. Of course, the big assumption is that they really were your friends in the first place if there was no foundation of trust to begin a relationship.

For those of you that see this decision to go to the authorities is an obvious one, have you considered the above 3 items? What allowed you to discount them enough to keep your opinion focused on going to the authorities should be the obvious choice?

Is your choice less clear with the three above items, or did I just make it more difficult for you?

Thanks in advance. :-)